Apparatus for withdrawing suspension rods from cathode plates



Nov. 25, 1969 o. c. G. WENNBERG APPARATUS FOR WITHDRAWING SUSPENSION RODS FROM CATHODE PLATES Filed Jan. 30, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 25, 1969 o. c. 5. WENNBERG 3,479,721

APPARATUS FOR WITHDRAWING SUSPENSION fiODS FROM CATHODE PLATES Filed Jan. 30, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N V EN TOR. 04 a) (he; Gusrm/ Mam Ase;

kn? r J4? United States Patent Ofiice 3,479,721 Patented Nov. 25, 1969 3,479,721 APPARATUS FOR WITHDRAWING SUSPENSION RODS FROM CATHODE PLATES Olov Carl Gustav Wennberg, Karlstad, Sweden, assignor to AB C. J. Wennbergs Mekaniska Verkstad, Karlstad, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Filed Jan. 30, 1967, Ser. No. 612,503 Claims priority, application Sweden, Feb. 8, 1966, 1 593/66 US. Cl. 29-211 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Holding devices are adapted to grip parallel cathode plates from opposite directions on the opposite edges thereof to retain said plates while rods from which the plates are suspended are removed from suspension means secured to the plates. The holding devices comprise gripping plates secured to shafts for rotating the cathode plates about a quarter of a revolution after removal of the rods to set the cathode plates in a horizontal position and to deposit them on a carriage. An extractor with tongs is mounted on a carriage and adapted to remove the rods and deposit them into a magazine open at its top and its bottom, and a vertically movable support receives the rod while being stored in predetermined positions in the magazine.

Electrolytic refinement of copper is effected in tanks in which the coarse copper in the form of anodes is decomposed by means of direct electric current. At the same time pure copper is precipitated onto cathodes the main part of which consists of a thin sheet of pure copper which usually is provided with suspension means in the form of lugs through which extend rods from which the sheets are suspended one after another at certain intervals. After a desired amount of copper has been precipitated onto the sheets they are in the form of comparatively thick stiff plates. These plates are taken out of the electrolytic bath and washed whereupon the rods are to be removed from the plates so that these rods can be used again for suspending new cathode sheets onto which the copper is to be precipitated. The object of the invention is to provide an apparatus by means of which the cathode rods or suspension rods can be removed substantially automatically.

The finished cathode plates are usually advanced by a conveyor while suspended one after another from the rods. In its broadest aspect the apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that movable'holding devices provided with jaws are adapted simultaneously to grip a plurality of plates and that an extractor for the suspension rods is movable in a direction parallel to the planes of the gripped plates so that the plates can be lifted by means of the holding devices and retained in lifted positions while the rods are withdrawn. Due to this arrangement withdrawal of the rods is facilitated to a great extent resulting in that a plurality of the comparatively heavy plates can be simultaneously disengaged from their suspension rods.

The holding devices may comprise a pair of jaws adapted to clamp the plates by engaging opposite edges of the plates. The jaws may be secured to shafts which are adapted to turn the plates through a quarter of a revolution after withdrawal of the rods. As a result the plates can be deposited in horizontal positions on a conveyor carriage or the like by means of which they can be transported to a desired place.

Automatic withdrawal can be effected by simple means if the extractor consists of hydraulically or pneumatically operated tongs mounted on a gripper carriage which is movable between a gripping position and a depositing position which is located above a magazine in which the rods are deposited and retained in predetermined positions. By means of the magazine the rods can then be turned to the start sheet producing apparatus in which they are to be used again. Consequently, they are in correct positions already at their deposition so that the assembling of the rods with the new start sheet plates is facilitated.

The finished plates can be removed in any suitable manner from the conveyor by means of which they are advanced to the apparatus according to the invention. Preferably, for this purpose there is used a device which simultaneously grips a suitable number of plates which then can be retained simultaneously between the jaws. According to an advantageous embodiment such device consists of a fork carriage which is movable at right angles to the planes of the plates advanced for deposition and suspended from the feed conveyor such that the fork of said carriage is movable underneath the suspension rods of the plates. The fork may be mounted on a lifting device which is movable on the fork carriage and adapted to lift the plates from the feed conveyor before this conveyor advances the plates in between the holding devices or jaws.

Additional aspects of the invention and advantages obtained thereby will appear from the following description of an embodiment illustrated in the annexed draw-- ings, in which FIG. 1 is an elevation of the apparatus, in FIG 2 a corresponding lateral elevation, FIG. 3 a plan view, FIG. 4 an elevation of a suspension rod, and FIG. 5 an end view of the rod.

The apparatus is mounted on a frame which comprises a plurality of uprights and horizontal beams connected to the top ends of the uprights. Mounted on a pair of uprights are bearing brackets 12 for shafts 14 of a feed conveyor which consists of wheels 16 secured to the shafts and of chains or bands 18 running over these wheels. On the upper runs of the chains or bands finished cathode plates 20 are suspended from rods 22 which at right angles to the :conveyor extend through a pair of suspension means 24 in the form of hangers or lugs attached to the plates near the top ends thereof. For removing the plates from the conveyor 18 there is provided a fork carriage 26 the wheels 28 of which run in rails 30 formed by a pair of top beams of the frame. The carriage 26 can be moved to and fro along the rails 30 by the piston 32 of a hydraulic cylinder 34 which is mounted on a pivot 36 supported by bearing brackets 38 on the top of the frame. The fork 40 of the fork carriage is mounted on a lifting device which is movable on the fork carriage. The lifting device is represented by a carriage. The lifting device is represented by a carriage 42 having wheels 44 which are movable in vertical rails 46 on the horizontally movable carriage 26. The lifting carriage is actuated by the piston 48 of a hydraulic cylinder 50 which is secured to the horizontally movable fork carriage 26. By means of the lifting device the horizontal prongs of the fork 40 can be moved to a correct level with respect to the rods 22 suspended from the conveyor 1 18 such that the prongs can be moved underneath the rods and thereupon lift the rods together with plates suspended therefrom. To this end the fork carriage is moved to the right as viewed in FIG. 2, and after the rods have been lifted the hydraulic piston 32 moves the fork carriage to the left in FIG. 2 into the position shown by chain-dotted lines. Instead or in addition the rods may be fed onto the fork by the conveyor 18.

In the position shown by chain-dotted lines in FIG. 2 the plates 20 are located between the jaws 52 of the holding devices which are supported by the apparatus frame and also comprise shafts 54 which carry the jaws, supporting members 56 suspended from the shafts, a pair of frame plates 58, 60 one on either side, and wheels 62 mounted on the frame plates and movable in vertical rails 64, 65 which form uprights of the frame of the apparatus. The crabs 58-62 are operated by vertical hydraulic cylinders 66 the piston 68 of which are connected to the frame plates 60. The supporting members 56 and the frame plates 60 are connected to each other by a sleeve 70 through which the shafts 54 extend outwardly into hydraulic cylinders 72 adapted to move the shaft and the jaws 52 axially toward and away from each other to grip opposite edges of the plates 20'. Each shaft 54 has keyed thereon a sprocket 74 a chain 76 which runs about a sprocket 78 on a shaft which carries a sprocket 80 of a chain transmission the other sprocket 82 of which is driven by a motor 84 which by means of the chain can turn the sprockets 80 and 78.

Mounted on horizontal beams 88 of the frame are rails 90 for a magazine casing 94 having wheels 92. Parallel to and above the beams 88 there extend beams 96 in the form of rails for a gripper carriage 98 which is displaceable to and fro along the rails 96 by the piston 100 of a hydraulic cylinder 99. The carriage comprises a rod extractor and is movable from a gripping position indicated by chain-dotted lines to the left in FIG. 1 to a depositing position shown in full lines in FIG. 1. Thus the carriage is guided in the frame to move in directions parallel to the planes of the plates between rod-extracting and rod-delivering positions. The carriage 98 has tongs consisting of a movable limb 102 and a fixed lamb 104. The movable limb is mounted on a pivot 106 and can be actuated by the piston 110 of a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder 108. In the gripping position the tongs grip the ends of a plurality of rods 22 andd raw the rods out of the lugs 24 of the plates. Thereupon the tongs move the rods into the rod-delivering position right above the magazine 94, i.e. into the depositing position in which the rods are laid down into the magazine. Extending through the centrally open bottom of the magazine is a vertically movable support 112 which is adapted, such as by means of a hydraulic jack 114, to be successively lowered from an upper position in which a first set of withdrawn rods is piled on the support into positions for receiving additional sets of withdrawn rods above the first set until the whole magazine is filled. The magazine is provided with bottom end parts 116 adapted to be turned outwardly about pivots 118 and supporting the ends of the cathode rods after the support 112 has been moved down out of the magazine.

The cathode rods 22 the cross section of which is placed up on end in the lugs 24 are flattened at one end.

23 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The wide sides of the flattened parts are horizontal and can be readily gripped by the tongs and deposited in correct positions in the magazine.

Below the jaws 52 there is a place for a carriage 120, a conveyor or the like on which the plates disengaged from the rods can be placed for further transportation. Two piles of plates 122 and 124 are shown in FIG. 1.

With the fork 40 in the position shown in FIG. 2 cathode plates 20 suspended from their rods 22 on the feed conveyor 18 will be successively moved above the horizontal prongs of the fork. When the fork is fully loaded it is slightly lifted by the hydraulic cylinder 50 and the vertically movable carriage 42 connected to the cylinder whereupon the fork is moved into the position shown in chain-dotted lines in FIG. 2 in which the plates 20 are hanging down between the jaws 52. At that time the jaws 52 are spaced apart to such an extent that the plates can be freely moved down between the jaws until the lower edges of the plates rest on the supporting members 56. Thereafter the jaws 52 are moved into clamping contact with the opposite vertical edges of the plates 20 by means of the hydraulic cylinders 72. The gripper car- 4 riage 98 has now been moved into the gripping position shown in chain-dotted lines in FIG. 1 in which the tongs 102, 104 grip the flattened ends 23 of the rods 22 due to the fact that the movable limb 102 by means of the hydraulic cylinder 108 and piston 110 from above forces the ends 23 against the fixed limb 104. Then the gripper carriage together with all of the rods 22 is drawn back by the hydraulic cylinder 98 and piston 100 into the position shown in full lines in FIG. 1. Thereupon the tongs are disengaged from the ends of the rods so that the cathode rods can be laid down into the magazine 94 either on the support 112 or on previously deposited rods 22. After the rods in this way have been drawn out of the lugs 24 the fork 40 can freely move back into the position shown in full lines in FIG. 2 for fetching new plates. Meanwhile the plates 20 are clamped between the jaws 52. Now the shafts 54 are turned through a quarter of a revolution by means of the transmission 74, 76, 78, 80, 82, 84 so that the wide sides of the plates are facing upwards and downwards. In this position the plates are lowered by means of the hydraulic cylinder 66 and the piston 68 and laid down on the carriage 120. Thereafter the jaws 52 are withdrawn from each other by the cylinders 72 so as to release the plates whereupon the jaws can be moved again upwardly into the position shown in full lines in FIG. 2.

After the magazine has been filled with rods and the support 112 has been lowered through the bottom of the magazine, the magazine can be removed on the rails 90 and returned to a start sheet producing apparatus in which the rods are to be used again.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described. Instead of hydraulic cylinders other actuating means may be used. For certain movements it may be suitable to provide for pneumatic rather than hydraulic operation.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for removing suspension rods from cathode plates connected with said plates by suspension means, comprising a frame, holding devices supported by said frame and provided with jaws adapted to engage opposite edges of a plurality of parallel cathode plates from opposite directions, a rod extractor, and means guided in said frame to move said extractor in directions parallel with the planes of said plates to be capable of withdrawing the rods from said plates while the latter are retained by the jaws.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and further comprising shafts connected with said jaws to enable rotation thereof and of the cathode plates gripped therebetween about a horizontal axis, whereby to permit deposition of the cathode plates in horizontal positions after removal of the suspension rods therefrom.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the extractor comprises tongs operated by a pressure medium, a gripper carriage supporting said tongs and movable between a gripping position and a depositing position, the latter position being located above a magazine adapted to receive the rods in predetermined positions.

4. An apparatus for removing suspension rods from cathode plates and deposition thereof in a magazine, comprising a frame, opposite holding devices supported in said frame, said holding devices including gripping means adapted to engage opposite edges of parallel cathode plates from opposite directions, a carriage supported in said frame to reciprocate between a rod-extracting position and a rod-delivering position, an extractor on said carriage for removing said rods from said plates while retained by said jamming means, a magazine casing mounted below said rod-delivering position and being open at the top and the bottom, a vertically movable support displaceable through the open bottom of said casing, and elevating means adapted to successively lower said support from an elevated position as the extracted rods are deposited on the support by said extractor.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4 and further characterized in that the magazine is provided with bottom end parts adapted to be turned outwardly and supporting ends of the rods after said support has been moved down out of the magazine.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and further comprising a fork carriage movable at right angles to the planes of the cathode plates in a suspended position of said plates, the fork of said carriage being movable to and from a position underneath the suspension rods of the plates, a lifting device for said fork movable on the fork carriage and adapted to lift the plates from their suspended position to advance the plates in between said 1o1ding devices.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 THOMAS H. EAGER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 29204 

